MEMBERS of Jamaica Household Workers Union recently benefited from a workshop designed to enhance their understanding of governance, accountability, and the national budget process. The workshops, titled ‘Understanding Our Budget for the Journey Ahead’, were delivered by Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal (JAMP), with funding from European Union and co-funding from UK International Development.

The workshops sought to build the capacity and confidence of citizens by providing participants with a deeper understanding of public affairs, the responsibilities of political leaders and public officials, as well as their own role in holding them to account.

“Our primary objective is to empower Jamaican citizens with the knowledge and confidence necessary to actively participate in our nation’s democratic process,” said Jeanette Calder, executive director of JAMP, explaining the importance of the workshops.

“We believe that civic engagement extends beyond the ballot box. These workshops are about introducing the budget as more than a numbers book, but as a promise and pledge book on how the nation’s challenges will be addressed over the next 12 months. It is intended to reinforce the necessity of tax compliance as well as to enable them to hold our public officials to account for uses of those resources.”

The workshops covered several key areas including government and parliamentary functions wherein participants learned how these institutions work on behalf of citizens and why this knowledge is crucial for effective civic engagement; as well as monitoring and oversight, whereby attendees were educated on the mechanisms in place to ensure public officials operate efficiently and within legal boundaries.

“The session was very eye-opening, informative, and gave us a different perspective on life going forward. We now know how to hold the Government accountable and get answers pertaining to the governance of our country,” said Elaine Duncan, president of Jamaica Household Workers Union. “This information should be shared with the entire country so that all citizens can understand the running of the country, make informed decisions, and know how to hold the Government accountable.”

The initiative to engage citizens in these free workshops is rooted in JAMP’s core belief that governments exist to attend to the needs of the society and that citizens, as the ultimate owners of public assets and resources, have both rights and responsibilities in the democratic process.

“No Jamaican should feel disconnected from the national budget process. As taxpayers we are the employers of our elected representatives in Parliament and those who deliver public services, so it is important to understand how our nation’s resources are managed and feel empowered to engage in meaningful discussions about the decisions they make on our behalf,” said Calder.

JAMP plans to continue offering these workshops with the goal of reaching an even broader cross section of Jamaican society.